Unless otherwise indicated herein, the materials described in this section are not prior art to the claims in this application and are not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.
The present disclosure is generally directed to systems and methods for locking and tagging out electrical equipment. More specifically, the present disclosure is directed to a mechanical assembly for use with an electric power switching transfer switch.
Automatic transfer switches are typically used as an integral component in a power-distribution system having additional upstream and downstream electrical equipment. Automatic transfer switches are used to switch loads between a normal power source and an alternate emergency power source. The normal power source may, for example, be the local power utility company, and the alternate emergency power source may, for example, be a backup power generator.
Electrical equipment typically requires periodic maintenance. For instance, electrical equipment often requires cleaning, repairs, testing, and/or adjustments. Further, some electrical equipment may require replacement. Consequently, there is a need to provide service personnel with means to create a safe working environment by disconnecting electricity to the equipment which the service personnel are servicing. One way to accomplish this disconnecting of electricity is to disconnect power with a circuit breaker where contacts can be opened and the operator mechanism can be padlocked in the “open” position to prevent accidental closing of contacts. Preventing the closing of contacts would prevent re-energizing the circuit. In general, facilities with electrical equipment have a specific procedure which establishes the minimum requirements for lockout of energy sources that could cause injury to service personnel. This procedure is commonly referred to as a lockout-tagout procedure.
Unlike circuit breakers, however, typical automatic transfer switches are not provided with means to perform lockout-tagout procedures. Consequently, to service equipment downstream from the switch, an additional breaker is required to be installed downstream from the automatic transfer switch and ahead of the equipment to be serviced.